Having Jesus

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:4)

When the time was near for Jesus to suffer, He instituted the Lord’s supper and spoke many Truths to His apostles before taking them to the Garden of Gethsemane. John’s account is detailed and encompasses five chapters from the time after Judas left the group that had gathered for the Last Supper and the time Jesus took His disciples to the garden. (John 12:31-17:26) The other Gospels differ. Matthew doesn’t mention Judas leaving and his account of the Last Supper to the time they went to the Garden Gethsemane is only ten verses long. (Matthew 26:20-30) He briefly mentions Jesus talking about the betrayal to take place, the institution of the supper representing the new covenant and Peter’s denial. Luke’s version is twenty-four verses long and includes Jesus telling them of the betrayal that was coming, Peter’s denial and the discussion of who was the greatest among them before they leave for the Garden Gethsemane.  (Luke 22:14-38) Mark’s Gospel is thirteen verses long and includes Jesus telling them of the betrayal, the institution of the Lord’s Supper, being abandoned by all of them and Peter’s denial.  (Mark 14:17-31)

One of the great Truths that Jesus spoke to His apostles at the Last Supper was about abiding in Him. John is very precise and his spiritual insight is seen in the very beginning of his Gospel, the epistles he wrote and the book of Revelation. In hindsight, I wonder if this attention to detail and spiritual insight, might be why he had such a close relationship with Jesus and had been known as “the disciple Jesus loved.”

Abide is spoken as a command. The Greek word that John wrote means “to stay as in a given place, state, relation or expectancy and to continue, to dwell, to endure, to be present, to remain or to stand,” per Strong’s definition. The word doesn’t leave us any doubt to its meaning. We can understand it as saying to us, “Stay in that place of relationship to Jesus and continue to live there enduring and remaining there standing” regardless of time or circumstances being inferred. God’s Word continues to “wow” us as always. Reading and rereading the meaning of the word, its connotation just opens up revelation.

After the command, Jesus explains that when we remain with Him, we’re able to bear fruit. A branch not connected to the vine will die. It’s source of life has been cut off. The same is true of us. If we don’t stay connected to Jesus, Who is life, we will be cut off our life support. We hear about various people, leaders in churches who have left Jesus and have fallen into sin. I often wonder if they ever were part of Jesus. A person who has the Holy Spirit can fall into sin, but that person will not stay in sin. Listen to the words Jesus spoke. “And I give to them eternal life, and they shall never ever perish, and not anyone shall pluck them out of My hand.” (John 10:28) Jesus is making a declaration. Jesus Who speaks Truth. Our God Who speaks the end from the beginning says, “not anyone will pluck them out of My hand.” It’s easy to speak “Christianese” and sound like a devotee of Jesus when in reality one hasn’t surrendered to Jesus. It’s easy to deceive people when one is charming and says all the right things. But Jesus said, “Therefore by their fruits you shall know them.” (Matthew 7:20) A person cannot sustain a lie in their lives, even if they themselves don’t realize they’re playing a role. But soon enough, the fruit will show the reality of the thing. “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they were of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out so that it might be revealed that they were not all of us.” (1John 2:19)

How do we abide in Jesus? How do we stay connected to Him? “Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed on Him, If you continue in My Word, you are My disciples indeed.” (John 8:31) Jesus tells us we have to continue in His Word. The word that was translated continue in John 8:31 is the Greek word “meno,” the same word that was translated abide in John 15:4, our study Scripture. So to stay connected to Jesus we must stay in that place of the Truth in the Word of God and continue to live there enduring the things that may come against us and stand firm in believing God’s Word as Truth regardless of circumstances. And that is hard to do without the help and strength of the Holy Spirit. Barnabas encouraged the church at Antioch to remain close to Jesus. (Acts 11:23) When Paul wrote to the Colossians he expressed how they would be presented as a church without blemish if they continued and didn’t leave the hope of the Gospel they received. The author of Hebrews writes, “Now, "the Just shall live by faith. But if he draws back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him." But we are not of those withdrawing to destruction, but of those who believe to the preserving of the soul.” (Hebrews 10:38-39) Those who withdraw, withdraw to destruction. It seems to say that those who were connected to Jesus withdrew. But that cannot happen. Those who withdraw are merely showing their fruit and that they were never connected to Jesus.

I feel very adamant about this. A person who has connected with Jesus and has the Holy Spirit has the inner heart conviction and determination driven by his love for the Lord that he can declare with Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I live; yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me. And that life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith toward the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself on my behalf.” (Galatians 2:20) John says it clearly in his second epistle. “Everyone transgressing and not abiding in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son.” (2John 1:9)

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in full knowledge and in all perception; that you may distinguish between things that differ, that you may be sincere and without offense until the day of Jesus Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11) As we stay connected to Jesus, growing in our knowledge of our Lord and our God, we will be “filled with the fruits of righteousness...” This is the fruit that will be produced in us.  Notice that “it will be produced.” This is not something we can produce. It is produced through Jesus by the Holy Spirit because of our connection to, knowledge of, growth in and love of the Lord.

Summarizing, it’s our love for Jesus that keeps us connected to Him. And it’s our connection with Jesus that never releases us back into the darkness we were in before Jesus, produces growth in our knowledge of Him and produces righteous fruit in our lives.

Let us pray:

Father God, Your Word commands us to abide in Jesus, to continue with Him and to be connected to Him. My Lord, to leave Jesus would break my heart. It would cause a sadness in me that I would not be able to bear. Jesus, You are my breath and my life. I could not live here on this earth without You. And to be apart from You is sure death. In the ups and downs of this life, there are times I can only hang on to the hem of Your garment and can only trust in Your Word. You have never failed to help me, to protect me and to bless me. And I am so grateful. Where could I and where would I go without You? There is no place better than in Your arms, the embrace of Your love and in Your presence. There is life in Your presence. Teach me all You have for me so that all may see the sweet and holy fruit of Your righteousness in me. In the Name of Jesus I pray, amen.